"If freedom means the right to do pretty much as one pleases, so long as one does not interfere with others, the immigrant has found freedom, and the ruling element has been singularly liberal in its treatment of the invading hordes. But if freedom means a democratic cooperation in determining the ideals and purposes and industrial and social institutions of a country, then the immigrant has not been free, and the Anglo-Saxon element is guilty of just what every dominant race is guilty of in every European country: the imposition of its own culture upon the minority peoples. The fact that this imposition has been so mild and, indeed, semi-conscious does not alter its quality. And the war has brought out just the degree to which that purpose of "Americanizing," that is, "Anglo-Saxonizing," the immigrant has failed."
This passage from Trans-National America, a 1916 essay by radical Randolph Bourne, emphasizes the problem faced by immigrants in America. That being, instead of finding him/herself free and doing what he/she want in America, a newcomer actually finds him/herself not free at all. Instead, he/she is bombarded by, as Bourne puts it, "the imposition of [America's] own culture." Which, in other words, means that immigrants find themselves with the need to conform to American standards instead of being free.
I chose this passage because I found it interesting that although the excerpt was written in 1916, it describes a scenario extremely similar to that faced by immigrants in our country today. That being, no one that comes here is truly allowed to embrace and celebrate their culture openly. Instead, America holds expectations for someone to adopt American mannerisms, learn English, etc.
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